Community In Turkey Research Articles

Israel, Turkey, and the Turkish Jewish community in light of Operation Protective Edge

ABSTRACT This article examines developments within the Jewish community in Turkey during and after the Israeli operation in Gaza in 2014 and describes the political relations between Israel and Turkey and its impact on local Turkish Jews. It depicts Operation Protective Edge as one of the peaks of antisemitism in Turkey and considers the question of whether antisemitism in Turkey is related to Turkish-Israeli relations. This study contributes to the scholarship on the perception of Jews in Turkey in light of Turkish-Israeli relations. The paper begins by introducing minority discourse, and then describes the historical background of Turkish-Israeli relations, the perception of Jews, and the effects of the Protective Edge on the Jewish community in particular and on Israeli-Turkish relations in general during that period. Subsequently, the main findings are presented.

Turkish Language and Turkish Culture Education in Flanders, Belgium: A model proposal

Purpose: In this paper, language and culture classes (TLCL) in Belgium are chronologically presented from past to present and based on the challenges and problems faced, a case study was conducted. Furthermore, an integrated model is presented to address the problem of suspended and ill-structured Turkish language education in the Flemish Region. Design/Methodology/Approach: Since 30 June 2016, Turkish language and culture classes have been suspended in the Flemish Region of Belgium, a federal state composed of communities (Flemish, French, and German-language) and regions (Flemish, Walloon, and Brussels Capital), which makes it problematical for the Turkish community to keep its language and culture alive through classes. Since 2016, some local NGOs have been able to organise ‘Turkish-language and culture classes’ in the Flemish Region through programmes funded by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities in Turkey. While this appears to be a short-term solution to the problem of suspended Turkish language classes at schools, a new model should be drafted in order to adopt an institutionalised and longitudinal school-based approach as a long-term solution. Findings: For an effective Turkish-language and culture teaching and learning process, some important and sustainable measures should be taken into account. A negligence suspension after 2016 has affected Turkish-language and culture teaching and learning processes, heralding a period of regression. Pursuant to a Protocol signed by the Flemish Government and Turkish Government, TLCL were resumed in Flanders in the 2019-2020 academic year, with a model-based approach presented in this study. Highlights: This educational model came about thanks to a theme-based, multilingual approach, which is integrated successfully in Flemish schools by bilingual, local teachers living in Flanders.

Long Tsunami Oscillations Following the 30 October 2020 Mw 7.0 Aegean Sea Earthquake: Observations and Modelling

Eastern Mediterranean Sea has experienced four tsunamigenic earthquakes since 2017, which delivered moderate damage to coastal communities in Turkey and Greece. The most recent of these tsunamis occurred on 30 October 2020 in the Aegean Sea, which was generated by an Mw 7.0 normal-faulting earthquake, offshore Izmir province (Turkey) and Samos Island (Greece). The earthquake was destructive and caused death tolls of 117 and 2 in Turkey and Greece, respectively. The tsunami produced moderate damage and killed one person in Turkey. Due to the semi-enclosed nature of the Aegean Sea basin, any tsunami perturbation in this sea is expected to trigger several basin oscillations. Here, we study the 2020 tsunami through sea level data analysis and numerical simulations with the aim of further understanding tsunami behavior in the Aegean Sea. Analysis of data from available tide gauges showed that the maximum zero-to-crest tsunami amplitude was 5.1–11.9 cm. The arrival times of the maximum tsunami wave were up to 14.9 h after the first tsunami arrivals at each station. The duration of tsunami oscillation was from 19.6 h to > 90 h at various tide gauges. Spectral analysis revealed several peak periods for the tsunami; we identified the tsunami source periods as 14.2–23.3 min. We attributed other peak periods (4.5 min, 5.7 min, 6.9 min, 7.8 min, 9.9 min, 10.2 min and 32.0 min) to non-source phenomena such as basin and sub-basin oscillations. By comparing surveyed run-up and coastal heights with simulated ones, we noticed the north-dipping fault model better reproduces the tsunami observations as compared to the south-dipping fault model. However, we are unable to choose a fault model because the surveyed run-up data are very limited and are sparsely distributed. Additional researches on this event using other types of geophysical data are required to determine the actual fault plane of the earthquake.

Translate to resist

AbstractThe emergence of the LGBTI+ movement has faced considerable challenges in the Turkish sociopolitical context due to the dominance and oppression of the long-established traditional and conservative institutions such as religion, family, and state. In Turkey, translation occupies a central position in the way knowledge is produced and organized to subvert heteronormativity and homo/transphobia, and struggle for rights.LGBTI News Turkeyis the most conspicuous LGBTI+ organization in relation to this, since the platform focuses exclusively on translation. I discuss the role of the activist translators in the representation of LGBTI+ individuals globally by constructing a “narrative” (Baker 2006a) for the LGBTI+ community in Turkey. I also elaborate the concepts of fidelity and invisibility within activist translation, and the methods activist-translators employ to create and disseminate a counter narrative against the dominant public narrative, and question how they position themselves in the LGBTI+ movement.

Violence Against the Queer Community in Turkey

There is little attempt by the Turkish government to end violence directed against queer people or to provide intervention and prevention services. This article explores the social and legal traditions that the Turkish state maintains to oppress the queer community and to prevent people from accessing their basic human needs. In order to understand violence orchestrated against Turkey’s queer people, it is important to explore some of the threats they face on an everyday basis. These threats include unemployment, harassment, discrimination, disowning/honor killings, denial of freedom of expression and freedom of association, and death. Finally, we explore the Gezi Park nonviolent protests as well as providing some important social change recommendations that Turkey must implement with international solidarity.

Conference Report of Why R? Turkey 2021

The Why R? Turkey 2021 as a three-day online conference was organized to bring together researchers and professionals from Turkey on April 16-17-18, 2021. We hereby aimed to promote the R community in Turkey by bringing R users with different backgrounds such as genetics, sociology, finance, economy, bio-statistics. There were 8 thematic sessions and 18 invited speakers. In this article, it is aimed to describe the preparation phase, technical details, and the impact of the conference on audience.

Conservation politics and local communities in Turkey: The case of Köprülü Canyon National Park

Bu makale, neoliberalleşme sürecinin Türkiye’de alan yönetimine etkilerini ele alarak, koruma ile doğanın özelleştirilmesi ve ticarileştirilmesi arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektedir. Türkiye’de resmî koruma anlayışının, neoliberal dönüşüm kadar yönetsel ve ideolojik süreklilikleri de dikkate alarak, millî parklar rejimini nasıl biçimlendirdiğini tartışmaktadır. Çalışma, Köprülü Kanyon Millî Parkı (KKMP) örneğine odaklanarak, (kısmen dönüşen) koruma anlayışının devlet ve orman köylüleri arasındaki etkileşimi ne şekilde yapılandırdığını anlamayı amaçlıyor. Ayrıca, Köprülü Kanyon sularının piyasalaştırılması sürecinden örnekler vererek, “koruma-kullanma dengesi” gözeten himayeci çevre koruyuculuğunun millî park gibi korunan alanlar açısından sonuçlarını araştırıyor.

Cretan Turks at the End of the 19th Century: Migration and Settlement

The Cretan Turks (and now their descendants) are a group of people who originally had lived in the Island of Crete till 1923 when the Obligatory Population Exchange Agreement signed between Turkey and Greece. Through almost the entire 19th century, as a result of Greek revolts one after another in different times in history and the public order on the island was disrupted, the Cretan Turkish population in fear of their lives left their living places, became refugees and the demographic structure of the island changed in favor of the Orthodox Christians. Among those migrations, the biggest and the most decisive on the political future of the island is the Heraklion Events that started in 1897 which resulted in the migration of at least 40,000 Turks. This population movement is particularly important as it caused the expansion of Cretan Turks to very different regions. The present existence of a Cretan community in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, the Rhodes and Kos Islands of Greece, along with (albeit few) Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, the Island of Cyprus and Palestine happened due to this immigration movement. This article approaches the immigration and settlement process that happened at the very end of the 19th century as a result of a revolt in Crete, in a sudden and involuntary manner, in a period where the Ottoman Empire suffered from political, economic and social difficulties. Tracking the official records and by fieldwork where and how immigrants settled, how many and where new settlements were founded for them were analyzed with the methodological approaches of history and historical anthropology.

Transactional relations and reciprocity between refugee mothers and their children: changes in child, parenting, and concept of child

ABSTRACT Guided by the transactional approach, this grounded theory study examined the reciprocal relations between the effects of participation in a preschool education intervention program on Syrian refugee children and their mothers’ parenting practices and concept of child. 128 children participated in a school-based intervention program in resettlement communities in Turkey. 32 mothers were individually interviewed regarding their observations of and experiences with their children before and after intervention. Data were analyzed with various categorization, thematization, and trustworthiness techniques of grounded theory. Results show that participation in intervention yielded a variety of positive developmental changes in children which kicked off substantial changes in maternal practices and perceptions of child/childhood among their mothers. The emergent transactional model grounded in mothers’ voices captures three aspects of reciprocity that led to these changes: Remediation, redefinition, and reeducation. The study highlights the crucial and instrumental role of refugee children’s participation in ECEC support programs in reshaping and enhancing parental practices and their competence and capability to constructively impact on members of their proximal environments.

COVID-19 lockdown: the unspoken toll on the 65+ community in Turkey

Purpose On March 21, 2020, the Turkish Government imposed a curfew for citizens 65 years old and over and ordered them to stay at home as a measure to protect them against the COVID-19 outbreak. The curfew ended on June 10, 2020, having lasted 82 days. The purpose of this paper is to examine the significant emotional burden on the elderly, as they felt excluded and battled with despair during the lockdown. Design/methodology/approach This reflective paper shares the COVID-19 lockdown experiences of the author with a group of elderly residents of a small community in Ankara, Turkey. Through semi-structured interviews and analysis, three overarching themes of the residents’ experience were identified: vulnerability, social isolation/loneliness and ageism. Findings The elderly in the community are individuals who get their social interaction outside the home. As a result of the nearly three months of social isolation, they have experienced social disconnection and health problems, Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first attempt to give voice to the silenced group of elderly and share their thoughts and feelings during this difficult COVID-19 lockdown in Turkey.

Turkish Delights with an Aftertaste

Abstract Hop-Çiki-Yaya Polisiyesi is a Turkish crime novel series by Mehmet Murat Somer that appeared between 2003 and 2004. The series is set in the trans world of Istanbul, and the hero/heroine is a gender-nonbinary sleuth. The present essay explores the paradox at the heart of this series, which on the one hand offers an affirmative portrait of a sex-positive and sociopolitically mobile trans world, and on the other hand exposes the reality of trans murders and the necropolitics as well as bare life politics in practice against the trans community in Turkey. The publication of these novels coincided with the emergence of an LGBTQ+ politics in Turkey but also with the rise to power of the Islamist Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (Justice and Development Party). Drawing on crime fiction theories, trans studies, and recent Turkish history, this essay draws out the significance of this series and its place in the trajectory of LGBTQ+ life in Turkey.

Inclusive Education for Religious Minorities: The Syriacs in Turkey

Expanding the scope of inclusion beyond specific groups such as individuals with disabilities has led to the investigation of school systems’ inclusiveness from the perspective of all students. With this in mind, this research investigated the experiences of students and parents belonging to the ancient Syriac community in Turkey, who inhabited Mesopotamia since the inception of Christianity. Obtaining the views of 43 parents and their 46 children through semi-structured interviews, the school system was investigated at a political, cultural, and practical level in terms of the educational inclusion of Syriac individuals. Overall, student and parent views indicated that: (a) policy-making lacked an approach to reach all students and organize support for diversity; (b) school cultures needed to build a community whereby inclusive values were established; and (c) school practices lacked the organization to target and ensure the learning of all and mobilize resources to achieve this aim. Details of findings are included and discussed. Implications address the importance of building schools that consider the increasingly diverse school populations around the world, with a particular focus on cultural and religious diversity.

The Myth of Turkish Islam: the influence of Naqshbandi-Gümüşhanevi thought in Turkish Islamic orthodoxy

ABSTRACT Turkish Islam has been defined as unique and exceptional, and it is suggested that it is an antidote to radical Islamic ideologies due to its adherence to the supposedly moderate and rational Hanafi-Maturidi theology, which is considered to have an inclusive and tolerant Sufi character. Turkish Islam is mostly defined by its Gümüşhanevi lineage, the most successful, though not theologically heterogeneous, of all active Naqshbandi communities in Turkey. Sharing a belief in its non-revolutionary character, some have asserted that it is open to democratic values. This study delves into the concept of ‘Turkish Islam’ in the belief that there is a lack of in-depth textual and methodological analysis to assess these claims. Based on a text-based analysis of primary sources, particularly the works of Ahmed Ziyaeddin Gümüşhanevi and Mehmed Zahid Kotku, two leading masters of the Naqshbandi-Gümüşhanevi discipline, this study uncovers the foundational religious motivation and codes behind Turkish Islam. As a research methodology, content analysis with purposive sampling was conducted, focusing on six of the most defining issues of Islam, al-wala’ wal-bara’, apostasy, jihad, the Islamic state, women, and art and philosophy. The study concludes that Turkish Islam is not unique or even exceptional either at the theological and discursive levels, nor does it necessarily demonstrate a willingness to embrace the values attributed to it.

Beyond Humanitarian Relief: Social Networks and the Role of Shared Identity in Refugee Belonging and Support in Turkey

A considerable body of research explores the ways in which refugees exert agency and establish belonging in exile. This scholarship challenges popular tropes that reduce the varied experiences of displacement to generalized themes of crisis, uprootedness, and suffering. Through exploring refugee involvement in Islamic communities in Turkey, this paper considers the role played by informal social networks and actors in both helping Syrian refugees to secure their basic needs, as well as in fostering subjectivities of belonging. Drawing on secondary research as well as on participant observation and interviews conducted with Syrians living in Turkey, it argues that attention to social networks built upon shared modes of identification, such as being devoutly religious, can offer generative insight into processes of emplacement among refugees. These networks not only make visible some of the problematic aspects of humanitarianism associated with non-governmental organizations, but also present alternative models built upon mutual support and care. At the same time, while recognizing the benefits of informal social networks, this paper also considers the potential for new boundaries and exclusions to emerge where others recede.

Blessing or burden? Impacts of refugees on businesses and the informal economy

We study the impact of the sudden arrival of more than three million Syrian refugees in Turkey on Turkish businesses. Our empirical methodology exploits the annual variation in refugee outflows from Syria and geographic concentrations of Arabic-speaking communities in Turkey, which date back to the rupture of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. Using yearly firm census data from 2006 to 2015, we document that refugee inflows induced a positive impact on the intensive and extensive margins of firm production. The effects were stronger for smaller firms and for firms operating in the construction and hospitality sectors. Increased informal activity by firms drove most of these changes.

Water-based Liquid Scintillator detector as a new technology testbed for neutrino studies in Turkey

This study investigates the deployment of a medium-scale neutrino detector near Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. The aim of this detector is to become a modular testbed for new technologies in the fields of new detection media and innovative photosensors. Such technologies include Water-based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS), Large Area Picosecond Photo-Detectors (LAPPDs), dichroic Winston cones, and large area silicon photomultiplier modules. The detector could be used for instantaneous monitoring of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant via its antineutrino flux. In addition to its physics and technological goals, it would be an invaluable opportunity for the nuclear and particle physics community in Turkey to play a role in the development of next generation of particle detectors in the field of neutrino physics.

Caregiving profiles of mothers in an economically disadvantaged sample from Turkey: An observational study

ABSTRACT Objective: This study aims to investigate the patterns of maternal sensitivity via structured and systematic observational methods among mothers from a disadvantaged community in Turkey. Background: Caregiving sensitivity is shaped by cultural parenting ethnotheories, and there is a need to examine in non-Western cultures to see its universal and culturally-specific features. Method: Ninety-eight mothers and their interactions with infants were videotaped during home-visits, and their caregiving behaviours were assessed via the Maternal Behaviour Q-Set. Results: Results of the Q-factor analysis revealed two distinct caregiving profiles. The first profile, ‘sensitivity vs. insensitivity’, describes mothers who were characterised by sensitive behaviours to their babies, and acceptance of their infant. Mothers in this group were more aware and responsive to their babies’ needs and demands. The second profile, ‘nonsynchronous vs. synchronous’, describes mothers who showed noncontingent behaviours during interactions such as being unable to follow the pace of the infant or to respond to infants’ needs on time. Conclusion: This study contributes to the literature by showing that mothers from Turkey can be grouped in terms of sensitivity similar to the previous studies, although the descriptive behaviours of sensitivity may vary.

Türkiye'nin Karmaşık Etnik Kökenini Temsil Eden İstanbul’da ABO ve Rh (D) Gruplarının Dağılımı

Objective: In humans, 38 different critical blood type classification systems are currently recognized. They differ in frequencies in distinct populations. It is aimed to visualize ABO and Rh(D) groups distribution in Istanbul as having the largest community in Turkey. Method: Volunteered blood donor's data on the automation system were screened retrospectively. Blood donation acceptance criteria were based on the guidelines prepared by the Ministry of Health. ABO and Rh(D) groups were analyzed using column agglutination/gel centrifugation methods. Results: The study covered six years' data between the dates of January 2014 and December 2019, including 136,231 donors. The majority of the donors were found to have blood group A with a frequency of 41.88%(n=57,059). The second most common blood group was group O, and had a frequency of 34.92%(n=47,576). The blood group B (n=20,790;15.26%) and group AB (n=10,806;7.93%) were found to be the rare encountered blood groups. Among the Rh(D) group, 85.02% of the donors were Rh(D) positive. Conclusion: In transfusion medicine, ABO and Rh(D) groups' compatibility is mandatory. According to the monthly and or annual blood products requirement, there are some suggested quantities of blood units to be available at blood centres. Determining the frequency of blood group distribution of populations will help to coordinate the ratio of blood groups to be storaged. The Turkish genetic makeup is a fascinating mixture of European and Asian DNA, necessitates to find out the countries' specific ABO and Rh(D) groups ratio. We compared our results with the previously reported studies performed in different cities of Turkey and the world around. Thus, our research as giving the overall distribution of ABO and Rh(D) groups from the largest city of Turkey reflecting the general ethnic background of the country, would help to the establishment of a databank of ABO and Rh(D) group's ratio.

Otonom Araçların Türkiye Altyapısına Entegrasyonunda; Sürücü ve Yaya Güven Analizi

Due to development in technology; technological revolution has been occurred in many sectors. The automotive sector is at the head of these technological revolutions. Autonomous vehicle technology and the development of sensors, cameras, radar and decision-making mechanisms under this technology have made the design and development of autonomous vehicles possible for every company. The aim of this study is to analyze the public's confidence in autonomous vehicles. In this study, driver and pedestrian/passenger trust was analyzed with online survey which was performed with 107 participants. Furthermore, briefly autonomous vehicle market analysis was performed with same survey and same participants. While 60,7% of participants have basics knowledge about autonomous vehicles and their systems, 10,3% of attenders didn’t have any knowledge before. The presence of autonomous vehicles in the traffic is not disturb 73,8% of participants, conversely it can be problem for 6.5% of attenders. 63,5% of participants can drive on same line with autonomous vehicle while 9,6% of attenders do not prefer that. 60,7% of respondents have trust to autonomous vehicle as pedestrian who crosses over. 56,1% of participants prefer domestic produced autonomous vehicle instead of other brand who produces autonomous vehicle and 66,3% of attenders prefer autonomous vehicle in lieu classical vehicle in case of availability. According to this analysis, majority of community in Turkey have positive perspective on autonomous vehicle.

De-Europeanisation and Equal Citizenship in Turkey: The Case of Circassians

ABSTRACTThe Europeanisation process in Turkey that extended roughly from 1999 to 2006 boosted the political and cultural rights of diverse ethnic groups in Turkey, including Circassians, and strengthened their claims for equal citizenship. With the loss or weakening of the EU as an anchor for democratic reform in the post-2007 period, however, the de-Europeanisation process has resulted in the disappearance of the main legal and institutional basis for the democratic integration of ethnocultural minorities. Nevertheless, analysis of the activities of four large Circassian communities in Turkey shows that the same process has enhanced the cultural reification of these groups as their survival strategy.